exclusive: Rod Stewart

Look who popped into the Woodpecker Model Railways in Pendle Hill to pose with locals after his sell out Bowral concert.

Marriage Mystery

While gay and lesbian couples celebrate in Canberra today, mystery surrounds the second marriage of the French charmer Alexandre Despallieres, announced via his Twitter feed as our picture shows.

French police are still investigating circumstances surrounding the death of Despallieres' first husband , the popular Australian music identity Peter Ikin who plunged down a staircase in a French hotel. Despallieres successfully gained probate over Ikin's $20M will and promptly moved into his London house in Chelsea, purchasing 2 Porsche cars for two male friends. Ikin's only relative, a Melbourne based Catholic priest got the will overturned although Despallieres received what is rumoured to be a $200,000 settlement.

Enter rock managers and Ikin pals John Reid, Elton John's former manager and Rod Stewart manager Billy Gaff who pressured French police to investigate the circumstances of Ikin's death. That investigation is ongoing while Despallieres remains on bail in France.
In March this year Despallieres' high profile lawyer Oliver Metzner was found dead from an apparent suicide.
No news yet on who his new husband is but he looks older than the ageless Depallieres, as was Ikin.
 To be continued .... 
left : in happier days : John Reid, Despallieres &Peter Ikin 

The Inspiration for Kevin Spacey's New Hair

The UK Daily Mail newspaper has run a story with some pictures of actor Kevin Spacey's gorgeous new hair which he premiered at the Australian Open yesterday in Melbourne.
 Kevin watched enthralled along with the nation as tennis greats Andy Murray and Roger Federer battled it out.

But as always the Shuttle is ahead of the others and today we present the man who inspired Kevin to banish those grey wisps and give his scalp a complete make-over : brother Randy Fowler who as our snap shows has one of the most magnificent manes seen around Las Vegas where he lives, shepherding folk around town in his luxury limo service and enthralling audiences with his Rod Stewart impersonations.
Sadly the two show-biz brothers are estranged and Randy once said to  Britain's Daily Mirror in an interview about Kevin : My brother is a lying weirdo !

Elton John Goes Potty

The Hope Estate in the beautiful Hunter Valley produces not only excellent wines but has become the venue of choice for visiting performers including Neil Diamond, The Who, Whitney Huston, James Taylor and Carole King. Last week Dolly Parton sang there and this weekend Elton John gives two concerts.

Any excuse to visit the Hunter should be grabbed and vintner Michael Hope by combining with promoters like Michael Chugg has won big time with this concept and is cleaning up. Over the past year he has built a brand new amphitheatre and early next year has George Michael and Rod Stewart in his line-up of star acts.

Hope Estate

Now the local Cessnock Council wants in on the action. Visitors to the Hunter always marvel at the glorious landscape but the roads are a real shocker and full of potholes. Over the past month the council has taken heed of local’s complaints and has been discussing a $50,000 levy to be charged to the concert promoters which would add an extra $3 to ticket prices.

The powerful Tourism Transport Forum says it’s an “absolutely appalling” idea : “you have a council that’s reaped a benefit from having a vineyard on its doorstep for decades and now it wants to tax people for having fun”, seemingly ignoring the notion that Hope has now over taken the Sydney Entertainment Centre for staging large concerts.

Small local business owners are backing the council and one who wished to remain anonymous and who says he represents 30 others told the Shuttle today:

“We have no problem with the Hope Estate concerts but they bring an extra 35,000 people to the Hunter on concert days and few other businesses see a benefit from that. The visitors spend all day at the Hope Estate which controls all their spending. Food and drinks must be purchased at Hope. Hampers cost about $100 and some tickets cost up to $699. The thousands of extra buses and cars are causing havoc on the already creaking roads and we are expected to subsidize the roads for Hope”

Looks like this one may be destined for the courts.

Love Is Dead With Accused Back Behind Bars

Despaillieres with Elton John & Peter Ikin

A report in yesterday's Sydney Morning Herald confirms that Alexandre Despallieres, suspected of being involved in the sudden death of popular Australian Warner Music executive Peter Ikin has been re-arrested and is back behind bars.

As the Shuttle exclusively reported Despallieres was released on bail in March this year after spending ten months in jail while Ikin's death is being investigated. Ikin, a friend of Rod Stewart and Elton John died in a Paris hotel in 2008 not long after marrying Despallieres in a civil ceremony.

The 42 year old Frenchman had Ikin's body cremated and obtained probate on Ikin's estate in a London court and set out on a spending spree purchasing  luxury sports cars for he and his co-accused Jeremy Billen.

A relative of Ikin's  challenged the validity of that will and a settlement was reached out of court with Despallieres relinquishing his claim on Ikin's $20M estate.

Enter Elton John's ex-manager John Reid a long time friend of Ikin's who commissioned an investigation in France which resulted in the arrest of Despallieres and Billen.

According the SMH article Despallieres who once had a hit record L'amour a Mort (Love Is Dead) in France had failed to meet the strict conditions of his bail and temporarily went missing, finally being arrested by French police who traced him via his mobile phone.
During his 6 months release he had launched himself into Paris nightlife and has been posting videos onto his YouTube account . He also has a photographic website that has snaps of him in happier days with Ikin, John Reid, Elton John and others.

For now, Despallieres is back again in Fresnes Prison, a gloomy establishment outside Paris ( once run by the Gestapo) while a magistrate considers the evidence against him.

Murder Suspect Remains In Jail



Alexander Despallières

 The French husband of the late Australian Peter Ikin, Alexander Despallières remains in a cell  in the gloomy Fresnes jail after an application for bail in the Paris Court of Appeal  on the 18th January was rejected.

Ikin was a much loved music industry figure who was pals with a host of big names like Elton John and Rod Stewart. He died after a suspected heart attack and a fall down a flight of stairs.

However suspicions were raised especially after Ikin's body was cremated without family permission and Despallières managed to gain probate on a will he presented to a London court naming him as the sole beneficiary to Ikin's estate.

Enter John Reid, fiery Scot's show business entrepreneur and friend of Ikins who hired investigators to look into the matter. An examination of Ikin's stored blood showed alarming amounts of paracetamol that could have been fatal. Despallières was charged with Ikin's murder and with forging his will.

An alleged accomplice Jeremy Billien was charged with uttering forged documents in respect of the will that Despallières had used to gain Ikin's reputed $20 Million fortune. Billien and another were named as witnesses to the purported will. Billien remains on bail.

Adding a sinister note to the case was a letter from a relative to the French prosecutor alleging that 5 people including his parents and grandparents had all died in Despallièrs' sole presence. The case is expected to be back in court at the beginning of April when Despallières will have the noted French lawyer Olivier Metzner defending him.

Despallières enjoyed brief fame as a pop star in France and had ambitions to develop a TV series. Here is a video we have uncovered of an audition where he appears.

Music Identity's husband arrested

Ikin & Despallier's civil ceremoney

John Reid

In March we reported that Elton John's former manager John Reid had asked a French lawyer to investigate the mysterious death of the retired head of Warner's Australia Peter  Ikin who died after a fall down some stairs.

Now Ikin's French husband Alexandre Despalliere's has been arrested in France along with 2 friends Vincent Bray and Jeremy Billien.

Olivier Metzner

When Ikin died Despalliere produced a will that purported to leave Ikin's $20Million fortune to him after he and Ikin  had married in a civil ceremony a few months before the  music boss died. The Frenchman was granted probate on the will and immediately purchased 3 Porsche cars-one each for he, Bray and Billien. That will was overturned in a London court and Despalliere reportedly settled for $500,000 and agreed to move out of Ikin's Chelsea townhouse. Ikin's estate went to a charity and his only relative, a Catholic priest in Melbourne

Ikin was a pal of many top music figures including Elton John and Rod Stewart and extremely popular in Australia. Friends had been asking questions since his death and claimed Ikin had been in good health when it was claimed, with Despaliere as the only witness, that he had toppled down some stairs after an apparent heart attack, His body was cremated soon after.

 Under French law a judge must now decide if there is case for charges to be laid against the three in connection with Ikin's death. There is a twist-Despalliers had been living until his arrest with one of France's most high profile criminal defence lawyers Olivier Metzner who has defended clients like the former dictator of Panama Manuel Noriega.

a night to remember

tSS has scored 2 tickets courtesy of Barry Humphries to the gala premiere of Dame Edna Everage's new stage spectacular this Monday night at the Sydney Opera House.

               This show should be something else-brilliant violinist Richard Tognetti and the highly acclaimed  Australian Chamber Orchestra will be performing along with Humphries, Dame Edna and Sir Les Patterson, Cultural Attache and Minister for The Yartz.
                One proviso, Barry has recommended we don't let the Dame know we are his guests The seats are in the front row and we could come in for a verbal bashing from Edna.

                 Sir Les will be singing some of his favourite songs from Slim Dusty country tunes to Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy". Humphries says Sir Les may even be joined by Dame Edna in a duet-  " if only to upstage the respected senior politician" whilst Humphries will conduct the orchestra. This we have to see. All 3 on stage at once.

                 Humphries has also advised Tognetti to take out extra insurance on the amazing gift he received 2 years ago from a mystery benefactor-a $10M valued violin known as a Carrodus-one of only four in existence. 
 "Sir Les has a particularly virulent strain of spittle that has been known to eat holes through the toughest timber" says Humphries. 
            Barry will also be performing Façade, Edith Sitwell’s eccentric nonsense poems recited over William Walton’s cheeky, jazzy, hummable instrumental backgrounds. Humphries says "expect anything in this show-anything is likely to happen"
             As to Sir Les Patterson who will be appearing in off-white tails, Humphries says " I've been quite surprised. There hasn't been one single objection to Sir Les taking the stage at such a cultural evening. Although there could be quite a body of objection afterwards".
         
  There are only 2 performances in Sydney and 2 in Melbourne with limited seats-so book early HERE.
        
As Humphries says :"this is a once in a lifetime event. And many may say after 'thank God for that' "
                    **************************************************

## If a night with the Dame isn't your bag, how about former Australian Guantanamo Bay inmate Mamdouh Habib's one man show Waiting For Mamdouh which will be premiered next February as part of NIDA's  Short+Sweet theatrical festival.

   Habib spent nearly 4 years at GITMO before being released without charge and flown back to Australia by private jet. He says he was tortured in Pakistan with Australian and CIA agents watching on before being blindfolded and flown to Cuba.. He also says he has had 3 offers from the US to make films of his life but cannot travel abroad because the Australian government refuses to issue a passport despite him never having been convicted of a crime.
   Mamdou's play is a ten minute soliloquy performed in a cell onstage where he "tells the truth to the Australian people and the world." of his time in Cuba.

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an occasional series bringing you the latest from the web..

Tacky Weddings..a must see if you are planing your nuptials. No word yet if Melbourne's most famous bridal couple Mr & Mrs Geoffrey Edelsten will feature.






our favourite  : Men Who Look Like Old Lesbians   ...it's more common than you think !

a mystery deepens..

As the founder of Warner Music Australia, Peter Ikin was loved and respected by artists like Elton John, Billy Joel and Rod Stewart.
But when the popular music and record company identity died suddenly a year ago in a Paris hotel, friends were not only distressed but mystified upon hearing he had wed a former boyfriend, Frenchman Alexandre Despallieres in a civil ceremony just weeks before.

A greater shock was to come-Ikin had left his multi-million dollar fortune to Despallieres but not before emailing friends and a relative, nephew Father Gary Perritt that he was becoming increasingly wary of his new partner. According to Perritt, Despalliere had told Ikin he was now a dot com millionaire and was dying slowly from a mystery illness and convinced Ikin they should make each other beneficiaries of their respective wills. As Ikin's executor, Despalliere had Peter's body cremated shortly after an autopsy had been conducted in Paris. The gossip amongst friends is that Ikin's death was preceded by a fall down some stairs. Despallieres returned immediately to London after the cremation and ensconced himself in Peter's luxury Chelsea house.

Now Despallieres is facing London's High Court this Monday accused of fraud by Rod Stewart's former manager Billy Gaff who claims he was duped in a business deal. Questions are still being asked over the sketchy details of Ikin's sudden death and Despallieres puzzling actions, as reported in today's SMH 'PS' column by Andrew Hornery. Despallieres purchased 3 Porsche cars immediately following the cremation. One for himself and one each for the 2 men who had witnessed Ikin's will.